Au Yeung, who has risen through the ranks of senior sous chef, chef de cuisine and executive sous chef since Jade Dragon opened in 2012, did not let the challenge faze him. He went one better and led his team to the missing star.

“We didn’t really expect it,” the Hong Kong native says.

“Although in the past seven years we had gone from one star to two, we weren’t sure if the changes would affect our rankings. So we were really excited when we won the third star.

“Besides the food, one of our great assets are really the serving staff, who can remember our guests’ preferences from previous visits and make great recommendations.”

Since taking over as executive chef six months ago, Au Yeung has quietly gone about making his own mark at the establishment by expanding the menu to include new specialities.

“I think the most important thing is not to disappoint our diners, whose expectations have likely gone up since we were awarded three stars,” he says.

“Each chef has a different method of working and a different philosophy, but we would definitely be keeping our best practices and re-evaluate the ones that may not be working as well. We have to be objective about it.”

Au Yeung believes in keeping to traditions when it comes to preparing Cantonese food, while playing around with the ingredients.

One of Jade Dragon’s specialities is its seafood, and among the new dishes in that area that chef Au Yeung has introduced to the menu is an amazing crispy sea cucumber, served with shrimp roe and pomelo peel and a rabbitfish soup, elevated with fish maw and caviar.

“Some people might question the use of caviar in traditional Chinese cuisine, but I think they forget that nowadays, China has become one of the leading producers of caviar as well,” says the chef, who is also experimenting with black truffle on baked crab shell.

“We shouldn’t let preconceptions [about ingredients] limit us.”

Also new on the menu is the lychee wood roasted pork rib with black pepper and honey, which retains its juiciness underneath a light crispy roasted crust, as well as desserts such as chilled peach pudding with birds’ nest and double boiled Hawaii papaya with peach gum in whole coconut.

Both were light, low on sugar and soothing on the throat.

With his new accolades – and, indeed, his new menu – under his belt, Au Yeung is hoping that the name of Jade Dragon will travel farther and wider.

“You know, there may be people out there who may not have heard of Macau, but we want them to hear of Jade Dragon,” he says.

“Who knows? One day, the boss might decide to open branches in his other properties overseas.”

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